Weekend Adventures

Take heart! Spring is not far off. Although we find ourselves in the final clutches of winter, there's still plenty of warmth and adventure to be found not too far from home.  We did a little scouting to find the best places to be this weekend. 

Taste of Eden Prairie 

This is a hugely popular event benefiting the  Foundation for Eden Prairie Schools.  Tickets for the event are $35.00 in advance and $40.00 at the door. They must be purchased online and picked up at will call. 

The Mark Miller Band will start the evening off by heating up the dance floor for you and 25 local area restaurants will serve up samples of Eden Prairie's finest cuisine. 

What a great way to support education in our local schools and the added bonus? You'll find lots of warm community spirit flowing at this event! 

Saturday, February 23, 2013

6:00-10:00 pm

Minnesota Vikings Fieldhouse

9520 Viking Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344

Purchase your ticket here. 

Best Bowl of Soup

If you find yourself out and about in Minneapolis this weekend, your bound to need a little warming up from the inside out. Hop over to Bar Abilene for a bowl of home made Chicken Tortilla Soup. There's plenty of heat to be found in the Southwest cuisine you'll find at Bar Abilene starting with the chips and salsa and spilling over to the margarita menu. There's also no better brunch menu in town with prices averaging $7.95 a plate. 

If you're up for an adventure, this Saturday morning (February 23) is the Kill a Keg Rally--a prelude to next weekend's team plunge into Lake Calhoun to benefit Special Olympics Minnesota. From 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. you can purchase a cup for $10.00 and it's all the beer you can drink til the keg runs dry. Proceeds go toward sponsoring Bar Abilene's Polar Plunge team. I think you'll agree that while taking the plunge promises to be bone chilling, doing it for Special Olympics Minnesota is down right heartwarming.
Bar Abilene:1300 Lagoon Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408

Best Theatre: The Dining Room

This is the last weekend to enjoy the Eden Prairie Players theatrical presentation of The Dining Room. A cast of 15 portrays a wide array of characters as each vignette unfolds around the dining table. 

 

As the inter-twining scenes unfold, the audience will travel through generations, experiencing the drama, the laughter and perhaps even share a tear or two as the lives of the privileged and not so privileged emerge in all their pain and glory in the family dining room. 
You'll be warmed by the life lessons learned from The Dining Room and the amazing talents of this troupe of local actors.

February 22, 23 at 7:30 PM and February 24 at 2:00 PM.
Tickets are $10 - sold at the door only. Cash or checks.

Eden Prairie High School Auditorium

17185 Valley View Road, Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55346

Of course, the warmest, coziest place to enjoy the weekend is right here at Lake Place, where you can relax and watch the snow fall, snuggle up with a good book and enjoy a nice pot of hot tea. There's no place like home!         

 

Buy Vikings Tickets and Support our Eagles

Eden Prairie Football Association Day at the Vikings!

Our organization has been provided a great opportunity for a fun day at a couple of Minnesota Vikings 2012 regular season games, with the Vikings playing the Tennessee Titans at 3:25pm on Sunday, October 7, and the Arizona Cardinals at 12Noon on Sunday, October 21.  We and our EPFA members will benefit in a few ways:

• Upper-level tickets are being offered here for only $25 (high end zone) or $45 (sideline end zone / corner), at a savings of up to $31 per ticket.
• Our EPFA association will receive a portion of each ticket sold from the Vikings for each of these tickets sold.  This will help us to keep our equipment in even better condition and to assist us in keeping our registration fees some of the lowest in the area
• Simply a fun time to go to a Vikings game, with tailgating possibilities, and a chance to join our families and friends at a low-cost Vikings event

You can order tickets online.  Note that seats will only be assured to be placed together within a given order:

• Click here to order online.  Select Find Tickets, enter the Special Offer Code "EPFA", go to Create an Account (unless you already have one there) on the right hand of the screen using your email address, and take it from there!

Ordering deadlines are as follows: 

• Deadline to order for the Oct 7 game vs. Tennessee is Saturday, Oct 6 at 5pm
• Deadline to order for the Oct 21 game vs. Arizona is Saturday, Oct 20 at 5pm

This is a first-come, first-served opportunity, as quantities are limited, and should be a lot of fun as we march forward on both the Eden Prairie Eagles' and the Minnesota Vikings' seasons.  Please feel free to forward this notice to family and friends, though they will need to use this form in order to take advantage of this great deal.

Questions on this can be directed to us at VikingsNight@edenprairiefootball.com, though you should know that all of the order processing is being handled by the Vikings office, not the EPFA.  See ya on the gridiron!

Sincerely,
Your Eden Prairie Football Association

Source: http://edenprairiefootball.com 

Irresistible Watermelon Salsa

Today is National Watermelon Day. I can't think of a better time to appreciate the sweet virtues of all that juicy goodness than to dip in to this wonderful fruit on one of the hottest days in August. The trick, of course, is that whatever you do with watermelon, do it icy cold and you're sure to have a smash hit on your hands.

 

If you are planning to grill your catch from the lake this weekend, this tribute to watermelon should compliment your meal very nicely.  Says Lady Flannel, who authored the recipe, "Juicy watermelon replaces tomatoes in this salsa that's simultaneously cool and spicy hot -- perfect for a summer barbeque. Serve it with tortilla chips, or use it as a topping for grilled chicken or fish."  I don't know about you, but to me, anything you attach the word Salsa to, has to be good and as hot as it is--this watermelon salsa looks absolutely irresistible.

Watermelon Fire and Ice Salsa

Original Recipe Yield 4 cups

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped watermelon
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the watermelon, green bell pepper, lime juice, cilantro, green onions, jalapeno and garlic salt. Mix well and serve.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Watermelon-Fire-and-Ice-Salsa/Detail.aspx?ms=1&prop25=89803019&prop26=WhatsCooking&prop27=2012-08-02&prop28=PhotoArea1&prop29=Photo_2&me=1

Home Town Theater: The Glass Slipper

There are some fun and entertaining community theater dates coming up for that little prince or princess in your life, or anyone who loves drama and fairy tales all in one place.

 

Eden Prairie Players Present: The Glass Slipper

By Vera Morris

 

 

Date:  Friday 8/3/2012:       2:30 PM, 7:00 PM

          Saturday 8/4/2012:   2:30 PM, 7:00 PM 

          Sunday 8/5/2012:     1:00 PM, 3:30 PM

Location: Riley-Jacques Barn
9100 Riley Lake Road
Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Add to my Calendar 

 

Cinderella works and works in her nasty stepmother's house. Her silly stepsisters, Brunhilda and Cleopatra, think they're so beautiful that the prince will marry them both, but the prince spends most of the evening at a palace ball trying to escape from them!

The prince vows to marry the girl whose foot fits the slipper. The ladies of the kingdom attempt to squeeze into the tiny shoe. Cleopatra can only manage one big toe! Naturally, by the final curtain, Cinderella and the Prince are reunited and the stepsisters get an unexpected comeuppance.

Tickets at the door: $5, $3 ages 5 and under
No advance tickets - at the door only. Ticket sales begin 45 minutes before show.

The Eden Prairie Players are a program of Eden Prairie's Parks and Recreation Department who's mission is to is to enhance the quality of life for the community of Eden Prairie through:

• Inspiring and nurturing theater opportunities for artists and volunteers, and;

• Entertaining and challenging theater experiences for audiences.

• Inspiring and nurturing theater opportunities for artists and volunteers

• Provide entertaining and challenging theater experiences for audiences.

If you want to unleash that latent actor, actress, director or stage designer you can find out more about the Eden Prairie Players here or visit the Eden Prairie Players website for information on auditions, upcoming productions and more. 

Source: Article and Artwork: http://www.edenprairieplayers.com/theglassslipper.htm

Let's Chill

Okay, enough sun already. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to whip up something chilled and refreshing. This is a breakfast drink recipe, but I think I'll have it for dinner. It fits my criteria--cold, thick, easy and nutritious.

Gordon’s Berry Breakfast Drink

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup chilled orange juice
• 1/3 cup chilled pineapple juice
• 2 cups vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup frozen sliced strawberries
• 1/2 banana, sliced

Directions 

Place the orange juice, pineapple juice, yogurt, blueberries, strawberries, and bananas into a blender. Cover and blend until smooth. The berry drink will be very thick. Serve immediately.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/gordons-berry-breakfast-drink/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=chilled%20drinks&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe

Photo Source: http://allrecipes.com/cook/10075111/profile.aspx

How To Waterproof Your Kids

Taking your wee ones for a swim? Don't rely solely on floatation devices for your child's safety when they are near water.  Spend some time before you introduce them to the pool or lake, to let them learn what behaviors can lead to trouble and what behaviors can keep them safe.

PoolSafely.com is an excellent interactive resource for parents and children. The website has very useful information for parents (or grandparents) regarding water-proofing children and the kids can learn from the interactive games that teach basic water safety tips, like don't go into a pool area or lake unless an adult is watching. Kids can play and walk away with some rules to make their water play safer while having fun.

Here's a few water-parenting tips to help you out:

1. Always make sure adult eyes are on the children. If the pool area seems crowded, choose a different time for pool play. More accidents happen in crowed pools than you might think. 
2. Spend the first 15 minutes of pool time working on swimming skills with your child; back floating, treading water and kicking.
3. Always enforce pool safety--no running, climbing, dunking or diving.

You'll be glad you took the time to waterproof your kids. Even if you never use the pool, as long as water is nearby, water proofing your children is a must.

http://poolsafely.gov/poolsafely-activity/ 

4th of July Hometown Celebration

Date: 7/4/2012 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM 

Cost: Free 

Location: Round Lake Park 

16691 Valley View Road Eden Prairie 

Join your friends and neighbors for Eden Prairie's most popular community event! Enjoy entertainment, food, activities and more throughout the evening. 

ENTERTAINMENT 

5:30 p.m.: Jazz on the Prairie Big Band 

6:45 p.m.: Eden Prairie Community Band 

8 p.m.: Synergy 

10 p.m.: FIREWORKS display with music 

10:30 p.m.: Synergy 

CONCESSIONS 

Westrum's: Footlong hotdogs, corndogs and cheese curds 

Jersey Brothers Pizza 

The Kettle Korn Factory Kettle Korn and pork chops on a stick 

Eden Prairie Lion’s Club Beer 

Drew’s Mini Donuts 

Source: http://www.edenprairie.org/index.aspx?page=17&recordid=53